Electric railway



(No Model.)

W. ROBINSON.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 430,690. Pa tented June 24,- 1890.

INVENTuR:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ROBlNSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,690, dated June 24, 1890.

Application filed October 24:, 1889.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

In electric railways operated by the overhead system the rapidly revolving trolley causes such intense vibration in the working or contact conductor along which said trolley rolls that these vibrations are conveyed long distances along the wire and to either side of the same in the form of harsh, rattling, hissing noises, intensely disagreeable to people in ordinary health, and amounting to a dangerous nuisance in sections where there are people ill with nervous or other diseases requiring ordinary quiet.

The object of my invention, therefore, is to suppress the above-described vibrations and names.

The nature of my invention will be understood from the description which follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevation representing the working or contact conductor of an electric railway and the method of supporting the same above the track, together with a trolley in contact with said working-conductor, the whole illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a central cross-section of the trolley. Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the line y y, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the line a: at, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A is the working or contact conductor of an electric railway, suspended above the track at suitable intervals by clamps B. The conductor A is secured to the clamp B, and said clamp is pivoted at a to the insulator O,which is supported by the cross-wire b, as shown, all in the usual manner.

D is a rod of any suitable form in cross-section, provided at its ends with sockets d, and in said sockets d are inserted plugs or pieces 0 of rubber, fiber, or other material answering as a damper or absorber of vibrations. The

Serial a. 328,030. (No model.)

rod d is conveniently inserted and held in place between the clamps B and theinsulator C, with the dampers c resting upon the contact-conductor A, as shown, the dampers 0 being preferably placed at both ends of the clamp B.

The curve 6 (shown in dotted outline at the center of the rod D between the clamp B and insulator O) prevents said rod from slipping out of place longitudinally, and the guidingplate f, secured to the rod D, overlaps a por tion of the clamp B, as shown at g, thus keeping the rod D and the damper c from getting out of proper position laterally. The rod D is preferably made of spring metal, the elasticity of which will tend to keep the dampers c pressed tightly against the conductor A.

Instead of securing the guiding-plate f directly to the rod D, it may be secured to the clamp B. Thus f is a guiding-plate secured to the clamp B and projecting upwardly. The rod D in this case is embraced between the jaws h 72, of the guiding-plate f, and thus held in place in a vertical plane over the contact-conductor A. The pin a, passing through the jaws h h, keeps the rod D from escaping from between said jaws. The dampers 0, being continuously in contact with the conductor A, absorb the vibrations of said conductor and prevent the noises of the same from passing said dampers. to place these dampers at each insulator or point of suspension of said conductor-that is, there will be two dampers between each two insulators. Thus objectionable noises owing to the vibrations of said wire will be largely or entirely suppressed.

The above-described is a convenient method of applying the dampers to the contact-wire when the latter and the clamps and insulators are already in place; but in manufacturing the clamp B the damper or dampers may be attached or secured to it in any suitable manner. I do not limit myself to any particular method or means of applying the dampers to the contact-conductors.

To still further absorb and suppress the vibrations and noises of the conductor A, the trolley E is provided with rings or sections ofrubber, fiber, or other substance adapted to suppress vibrations. The dampers 70 will It is intended prevent ringing vibrations in the trolley E, and thus absorb and suppress vibrations in the conductor A.

The dampers 0, applied as described, and the damper 7;, applied to or traveling with the trolley, may be used independently of each other; but I prefer to use both in order the more effectually to prevent the objectionable noises above described.

The dampers 7; may be of any suitable form or material and may be applied to the trolley in the manner shown or in any other suitable manner, or the trolley maybe partly composed, in any manner, of sound-absorbing material without departing from the purpose and spirit of my invention.

The above description and accompanying illustrations refer to the under-contact system; but in an over-contact system it is only necessary to change the relative position of the dampers, placing them below instead of above the contact-conductor A.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is

1. In an electric-railway system, the combination, substantially as described, of the contact or working conductor and a damper arranged to prevent or absorb the vibrations of said conductor.-

2. In an electric-railway system, the combination, substantially as described, of a' contact or working conductor, a damper adapted to prevent or absorb the vibrations of said conductor, and a device arranged to keep said damper in contact with or vibrationsuppressing relation to said conductor.

3. In an electric-railway system, the combination, substantially as described, of a contact or working conductor, the bracket supporting the same, and a damper adapted to prevent or absorb vibrations and arranged to suppress the vibrations of said conductor.

a. In an electric-railway system, the eornbination, substantially as described, of a contact or working conductor, the bracket supporting the same, a damper adapted to sup press or absorb vibrations, and a portable device arranged to keep said damper in contact with or vibration-absorbing relation to'said conductor.

5. In an electric-railway system, the combination, substantially as described, of the contact or working conductor, the bracket supporting the same, dampers adapted to suppress the vibrations of said conductor, and a device portably secured between said bracket and the support of the same, said portable device operating to keep said dampers in contact with or vibration-absorbing relation to said contact or working conductor.

6. In an electric-railway system, the combination, substantially as described, of a contact or working conductor, the bracket supporting the same, a damper adapted to prevent or absorb the vibrations of said eonductor, a rod or device provided with a socket or sockets to hold said damper in contact with or vibration-absorbing relation to said conductor, and guides arranged to keep said rod, with the damper, in proper relation to said conductor.

7. In an electric-railway system, the combination,substantially as described, ot the contact or working conductor, a stationary damper arranged to prevent or absorb the vibrations of said conductor, and a trolley traveling in contact with said conductor, said trolley being provided with or partly composed of vibration suppressing or absorbing material. I

\VILLIAM ROBINSON.

Witnesses:

M. KAHURL, II. B. WILLIAMS. 

